Trump asking for advice on Stormy Daniels situation

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump has been seeking counsel from confidantes on how he should handle the Stormy Daniels situation, a source close to the President tells CNN.

The source said Trump is being told by advisers not to fight Daniels' decision to break a confidentiality agreement because it would make him look guilty. This source said it's the only reason Trump has stayed quiet on the issue and hasn't been tweeting about it.

The source also believes the controversy potentially poses a bigger threat to Trump's presidency than Russia. The difference here compared to accusations from other women is that there's a signed agreement and a payment.

Daniels, an adult film actress whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was paid $130,000 by Trump attorney Michael Cohen through a private LLC weeks before the 2016 election, and because Trump failed to sign the "hush agreement" regarding an alleged affair, Daniels' lawyers said in a lawsuit that the agreement to stay silent about her alleged encounter with the business magnate is invalid.

14. The media is pretty complicant on forgetting vetting the candidate too.

Remember this article?

From Huffpost back in July:

In late 2015 and 2016, when Trump’s campaign was gaining momentum, they (Joe and Mika) defended him against his critics and offered him advice. For example, at an event at the 92nd Street Y in New York in November 2015, Scarborough proudly recounted how he frequently called Trump to offer political guidance. Returning the bromance favor, in January 2016 Trump talked about Scarborough with Boston talk radio host Howie Carr. “He’s a great guy, and he has a great show ... and we have a lot of fun,” Trump said. After Trump won the New Hampshire primary in February 2016, Trump appeared on “Morning Joe” and told the co-hosts: “You guys have been supporters, and I really appreciate it.”

A few days later, CNN reported that MSNBC officials were concerned about “Scarborough’s friendship with Trump and his increasingly favorable coverage of the candidate.” According to CNN, MSNBC insiders called Scarborough’s admiration for Trump “over the top” and “unseemly.” The Washington Post observed that Trump received “a tremendous degree of warmth from the show,” and that his appearances on the show, in person and over the phone, often felt like “a cozy social club.”

That coziness was caught on tape during an MSNBC town hall with Trump in New York that Scarborough and Brzezinski hosted in February 2016. An unaired clip of banter between Brzezinski and Trump in-between segments revealed the two of them colluding about what questions she’d ask him. “Nothing too hard, Mika,” Trump says. “OK,” she responded.

Even after Trump’s most disgusting and troublesome traits were revealed to the entire country throughout the campaign – his abuse of women, his attacks on Latinos, immigrants, Muslims, and people with disabilities, his profound ignorance of basic issues and government policy, and the corruption and scandals surrounding Trump University and the Trump foundation – Scarborough (and to a lesser extent Brzezinski) continued to lend Trump their support.

18. Sure I remember - but it wasn't just Joe Scarborough

At the time, Scarborough was still an apologist for the Republican Party. So it wouldn't have been his job to disqualify a GOP candidate. As a journalist, yes of course, but he wasn't really a "journalist."

Too many other real journalists failed to do their jobs to disqualify the Trump candidacy. They were all complicit if you ask me. Just calling out one guy isn't fair or true.

What did the Huffington Post do in 2016? What did any of them do? They were so lazy in reporting poll after poll in which Hillary had a guaranteed win. Then they all tore her to shreds over and over.

32. Fortune story from March 2016

There has been much debate over the media’s relationship with Donald Trump. But, there is little doubt that the bombastic and controversial GOP frontrunner has dominated the airwaves throughout the 2016 election cycle—and television networks have reaped huge ratings boosts as a result.

Last week, CNN president Jeff Zucker said that the news media is not the culprit for Trump’s ascent and that networks like his own are simply doing their job in covering a leading presidential candidate. According to media analyst Andrew Tyndall, Trump was the second most-covered story of 2015, after “winter weather,” and the amount of coverage afforded to Trump in the 2016 election cycle accounts for nearly a third of all election coverage and more than all Democratic candidates combined.

Meanwhile, tonight in Washington, D.C., CNN hosts what could be described as one of the biggest ratings grabs in recent election-season memory. While previous debates and town halls have focused on one political party at a time, the network is hosting a three-hour special featuring live individual interviews with all five remaining candidates in both parties.
Record ratings, record advertising revenues

For TV networks, the “Trump effect” has meant higher television ratings for all election coverage in general and, in particular, a higher profile and record ratings for the 21 debates held so far by the two parties. Ratings for some of those debates have been so high—with, in some cases, more than four times as many viewers tuning in as did for debates during the 2012 election—that networks have been able to hike their advertising rates well into six-digit territory for a 30-second ad.

CNN, for example, was reportedly able to charge roughly 40 times its typical primetime rate of $5,000 for a 30-second ad spot during its September debate.

21. Isn't it obvious?

13. I don't suppose that "Resign in abject and permanent disgrace" is on the table.

No, that would require an individual with a working set of personal morals, adult-level responsibility, and a genuine concern for the welfare of this nation. trump wouldn't recognize any of those attributes, if they came up and bit his huge ass.

30. Cheeto has paid off at least a hundred women

If you read "Fire and Fury" by Michael Wolf, many details are given about it during the campaign. Actually Steve Bannon has all the women's names I think, so maybe he's given that info to Mueller by now. Michael Cohen paid them off so they wouldn't talk while Cheeto was running for President. Stormy Daniels was just one of them.

Do you think Trump would ever agree to a "no cheating" provision in his pre-nup? Maybe, but only if it means Melania can't cheat. He would never agree to "no cheating" for himself.

23. If the dress is a mess

25. I don't understand politicians.

If you are a Democrat and you are caught, Just say it was just for the sex. If a Republican, confess and cry in front of Evangelicals. You don't the story can go on for months. You do, and it is over in days.